Chapter 18
After clearing the A-rank dungeon and returning home, I spent my days blending into the couch.
Though it was just a sofa, it was softer and more comfortable than the beds in the other world…
When Si-yoon asked me if it was uncomfortable, I honestly thought, “Do we really need to buy a bed?”
Well, it might be a different story when we move to a new place, but for now, I’m satisfied with this.
As I was engrossed in watching a live stream of the VTuber Momobin on TV, I heard the doorbell ring.
It was Ji-a.
Now that I think about it, she did say she was coming over tonight in a text message.
I’d been so absorbed in the stream that I forgot.
“Hey.”
“Welcome!”
As we were heading to the living room, Ji-a’s gaze fell on the TV.
《Ahhh…》
On the screen, Momo was restarting her game in the starting village yet again.
Despite all the support, there was no sign of her completing the game.
As I sat down on the couch, I stole a glance at Ji-a.
Her eyes were still glued to the TV.
Hmm…
“Uh, I mean… I’ll change it to something else. Is there anything you want to watch?”
“No, it’s fine. I watch it sometimes, too.”
“…! Really?! For real?”
“Yeah.”
I was shocked.
Really shocked.
Who would’ve thought that Ji-a was also a fan of Momo?
I didn’t expect to find a fellow comrade so close by.
The embarrassment I had felt vanished, and joy filled my heart.
“Hehe… Isn’t Momo just so cute?”
“Oh my.”
Ji-a covered her mouth and laughed.
That means she agrees, right?
“I like her more than any of the big-name VTubers. She should be more famous, but it’s strange.”
“Do you feel disappointed?”
“Of course! Good things are meant to be shared.”
《Why on earth…》
Just then, Momo in the video let out a frustrated sigh.
Back to the starting village again, huh? Poor thing.
Ji-a chuckled softly.
I glanced at the chat on my phone for a moment.
《Ahhh…》
-Hahahahaha
-lololol
-Rest in peace
-Wasted time, lol
-lolololololol
I should join in, too.
-(dies of happiness)
《Aaack!》
Momo was ecstatic.
Watching live streams is always so fun.
When I looked up from my phone, Ji-a spoke.
“Is Si-yoon working?”
“Yeah, she said not to disturb her when she’s working. No one’s allowed in.”
“Fufu, that sounds about right.”
Ji-a had a mischievous smile on her face.
I stared at her, wondering why she had that expression, but she just shrugged it off.
Then she began putting away the items she brought in the refrigerator.
They were various types of alcohol.
“Alcohol?”
“Oh, didn’t I mention it? We were supposed to have drinks together.”
“…I didn’t hear about it.”
“Ah, I must’ve only talked about it with Si-yoon. Still, you liked drinking, didn’t you?”
“Yeah.”
It’s just that I’ve gotten weaker.
But I still don’t dislike it.
“Have you had a drink recently?”
“Once, with someone I know. I barely managed two or three bottles of beer. Any more, and I’d probably black out.”
“Huh, you’ve really gotten weaker compared to before.”
“…I’ll build up my tolerance again as I drink.”
Everyone starts off weak.
Whether it’s this or anything else,
I’ll get used to it and go back to how I was before, yeah.
As I made up my mind, Ji-a finished organizing and sat down comfortably.
“Oh right, Si-hyun. You know Section Chief Jang Han-soo, right? From the management department.”
“Hm? Yeah, I know him.”
“I met him today. But during our conversation, I realized a few things.”
“…?”
Ji-a looked at me intently.
After a brief pause, she spoke up.
“You’re planning to keep hiding things like you have been, right?”
“Mm… For the time being?”
“I see. Then keep a few things in mind.”
“Huh?”
When I tilted my head, not understanding what she meant, Ji-a raised a finger.
“First, your use of the Hunter app. Everything you do in dungeons gets recorded.”
“…Huh?”
“Whether you clear several in a row or who you team up with—all of it.”
“…Ah, right! Damn, I didn’t think of that…”
“You’ve only been back for a little while. It’s understandable that you wouldn’t know these things.”
So, everything I tried to hide was obvious, huh.
That’s why the section chief called me for a follow-up consultation?
I finally understood his actions.
“How much of me has been revealed?”
“Actually, you’ve been hiding things pretty well.”
“R-Really?!”
Startled by my shout, Ji-a answered with a smile in her eyes.
“He thinks there’s something unusual about you, but he doesn’t know anything specific.”
“Uh, okay.”
“And he hasn’t reported anything to the higher-ups in detail yet. You could say that most people don’t know anything.”
“Oh…”
It was good news.
My trust in the section chief rose a little.
As I nodded, Ji-a held up her second finger.
“Next, Si-hyun, how often do you go online? How about on the community sites?”
“Sporadically?”
“Then have you ever seen anything about an unidentified nun breaking into an A-rank gate?”
“…No.”
Now that she mentioned it, I hadn’t seen anything like that.
Even if my identity wasn’t revealed, there should have been posts like ‘Mysterious Figure Enters Gate!’
“The section chief knows about your outfit. He said he hid that information within his authority.”
“Wow…”
My trust in him rose even more.
He might be a better person than I thought.
I should answer his calls more sincerely next time.
Thank you, section chief.
“Anyway, he asked me to relay this message to you. He’ll follow your wishes, so just stay in Korea.”
“Huh? I’m Korean, so of course I’ll stay in Korea, right?”
“Guess it’s because he’s a doting brother.”
“…”
No, that sounds a bit strange when you put it like that.
It’s just that we have a strong sibling bond.
“Pfft, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. Anyway, how about asking the section chief to register you as a D-rank?”
“Is that even possible?”
“The management bureau is pretty flexible. They’ll probably apply some exceptions.”
“Hmmm…”
“Or should I ask him for you?”
Ask him for me?
It’s not a bad suggestion, but…
“No, I’ll do it myself if it’s necessary.”
“Fufu, that’s a good decision.”
Ji-a nodded in satisfaction.
It was then.
The door to the room opened, and Si-yoon came out to the living room.
“Big sis Ji-a, you’re here?”
“Yeah. Now that you’re done with work, should we order food?”
Si-yoon nodded and plopped down on the floor.
Momo’s live stream had ended at some point.
I handed the remote control to Si-yoon.
“…Big Sis.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Were you watching Momo’s stream with Big Sis Ji-a?”
“Yeah. Ji-a said she watches it often too.”
“Haa…”
Si-yoon let out a deep sigh.
She must be really tired.
“I feel like I’m going to die of happiness…”
“…?”
I feel like I’ve heard that phrase somewhere before.
…Hmm, I can’t quite recall. Well, it’s probably just my imagination.
“Oh, how about this?”
“Where, where.”
As Ji-a showed her phone, Si-yoon leaned over with interest.
I should leave the menu selection to the two of them.
I leaned back on the sofa and waited comfortably.
“Big sis might not be able to handle this.”
“Think it’s too much?”
“…”
Wait a minute.
“What are you looking at?”
“Fried stuff! We’re thinking of ordering tteokbokki, too.”
Si-yoon answered energetically.
Tteokbokki. Not bad.
“You can go ahead and order something as spicy as you want.”
“Really? For real? You won’t regret it?”
“I’m someone who can eat tempura udon just fine now.”
I train my tongue every day.
Don’t underestimate me, I’m telling you.
“Well, you just heal yourself with divine power or whatever when things get tough. It’s basically a cheat.”
“…Call it the beautiful spirit of perseverance.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re amazing! So for now, just drink some milk.”
“…Okay.”
Although the praise lacked sincerity, it didn’t really matter.
I should just follow the advice and start with the milk.
Gulp, gulp.
I quickly finished a small pack of milk.
It seemed like the order was already placed, and Ji-a and Si-yoon were chatting and laughing together.
I sat on the sofa and listened in on their conversation.
A bit of time passed, and soon enough, the delivery arrived.
We neatly set the food on the table.
Ji-a, who had gone over to the fridge, called out to us.
“I’m going to have some sake. What about you two, Si-yoon and Si-hyun?”
“Huh? You bought that too?”
“It caught my eye when I went to the market.”
Ji-a held up a plump, black bottle and lightly shook it.
Junmai… Daiginjo?
T/n: Junmai Daiginjo – A type of high-quality sake that Ji-a brought to drink with Si-hyun and Si-yoon.
I’ve only ever had soju and beer, so I wasn’t really sure what that was.
“Should I give it a try?”
“Hehe, if you don’t like it, you can always switch to beer. Just have a taste.”
Ji-a placed the bottle on the table.
I looked at the label, and it said the alcohol content was 16.5%.
“It’s not that strong, is it?”
“It’s more like rice wine, that’s why.”
“Ah, I see.”
Si-yoon quickly set out the glasses.
Ji-a poured the sake into three glasses.
“Cheers!”
We all took a sip of the drink.
Hmm… How should I describe it? It had a mix of sour and sweet flavours.
Not bad.
“Looks like you liked it?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. It’s nice. I think I might get it occasionally if I see it.”
Eating and drinking the same things over and over gets boring.
Trying something different once in a while isn’t so bad.
I took another sip to savour the taste again.
I could feel the alcohol slowly warming me up.
This feeling is really nice.
As I looked at my glass contentedly and then raised my head, Si-yoon was enthusiastically talking to Ji-a.
“Big sis Ji-a, you’ve become so famous! What are you going to do now?”
“What do you mean, what am I going to do?”
“Like joining a big guild! Or teaming up with famous people!”
“Ah…”
Ji-a nodded at Si-yoon’s question and replied.
“I’m planning to continue just as I have been. Taking requests from the management bureau, like a quasi-public servant.”
“Why? Do you have a reason to do that?”
“Hmm…”
As Si-yoon pressed for an answer, Ji-a’s gaze turned toward me.
Maybe it was the alcohol, but her cheeks were slightly flushed.
Ji-a looked back at Si-yoon and spoke.
“Working constantly with people you don’t feel comfortable with can be quite exhausting.”
“Yeah, I get that.”
“Until I find someone I can really rely on, I think I’ll keep going solo.”
“Ah, I see!”
Si-yoon nodded vigorously in understanding.
And then, she turned to me as her next target.
“When are you going to get your own place, Big sis?”
“…!”
“Ah, no! Don’t look at me like that! I wasn’t trying to criticize you…”
Si-yoon fidgeted with her fingers as she continued.
“It’s just… you always sleep on the sofa, so I get worried….”
“The sofa is really comfortable. Why can’t people understand its charm?”
“…Okay.”
Si-yoon shook her head and downed her drink.
Watching her, Ji-a chuckled softly and said.
“Come to think of it, Si-hyun.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you free tomorrow?”
“I have nothing but time. Why?”
When I responded, Ji-a smiled and brought her hands together in front of her chest.
“In that case, would you mind coming with me? I need to visit the Academy and meet the principal, but it’ll be boring to go alone.”
“Hmm… I won’t have to do anything, right?”
“Of course not! Just think of it as getting some fresh air.”
“If it’s just that, then sure.”
Satisfied with my answer, Ji-a gave a big smile.
I’ve heard about the Academy so often from all over.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to see what it’s like there myself.
“Shall we have another drink?”
“Okay.”
“Cheers!”
With Ji-a’s words, we all clinked our glasses and took a drink.
Drinking with close friends like this…
It really is such a joyful and happy time.
“Cough, cough!”
“Oh, Big sis! Here’s some water!”
And the tteokbokki was spicy.
Damn it…
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